Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to reflect that the developer La Plata Communities says it has put its lawsuit against the city of Fountain on hold as the two parties negotiate water issues.

In the last weeks ahead of Tuesday’s election in Colorado Springs, candidates and independent committees have poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into a get-out-the-vote push that may be stifled by poor voter turnout.

Colorado Springs data shows as of Monday, about 23% of the city’s 311,902 active, registered voters had returned their ballots.

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In the last mayor’s race, about 38% of voters participated. 

In the city’s last election in 2021, which did not include a mayoral race, voter turnout at the same point was about 20%, data show. In 2019, about 28% of voters had returned ballots by the day before the election.

Mayoral candidates Sallie Clark, Wayne Williams and Yemi Mobolade – the top three fundraisers in the crowded 12-person race – raised the most money in the final days and poured thousands of dollars between March 11-26 into mailers, TV ads, social media and other outreach, campaign finance reports available from the city clerk show.

Mobolade spent about $114,000, the most of any mayoral candidate who filed campaign finance reports during this period. Clark spent about $93,000 and Williams about $72,000.

A slate of City Council candidates including at-large candidates David Leinweber, Brian Risley and Lynette Crow-Iverson, as well as District 3 City Council candidate Michelle Talarico, also spent big money on advertising and raised the most money of the 13 City Council candidates, city records show. 

Crow-Iverson spent just under $43,000, Leinweber about $28,000, Talarico a little under $23,000 and Risley about $20,600, documents show.

Records show independent candidate committees with unknown donors also spent heavily in March.

A committee known as Citizens for Protecting Our Water that has backed Williams spent about $49,000 in recent weeks, including on television and other ads, city filings show.

Citizens for Responsible Leadership, which has backed Risley, Crow-Iverson and Leinweber, spent about $155,000, including on television, mail and other types of advertising, according to city records. The committee received $190,000 between March 22 and March 24 from Defend Colorado, a nonprofit with a right-leaning history.

A third committee that has blasted Williams, Colorado Springs for Ethical Government, spent about $127,500 on mailers, a mobile phone ad campaign and other types of advertisements, documents show. Sixy35 Media previously reported on the spin of ads. 

While candidates and independent committees are spending hefty amounts of money on outreach, few voters turning in ballots Monday said they had relied on formal ads to make a decision.

Westside resident Nancy Francis said it was tough to navigate the long list of candidates, even with help from her sister who has lived here 40 years.

“It’s a hard call,” she said.

She used personal connections and an online survey published by Colorado Public Radio to help identify candidates who are not too ideologically rigid and also willing to work with other groups to solve problems, such as homelessness.

But even so, she found it tough to identify the core values of the candidates.

A 28-year resident of Colorado Springs, Michael Hester, 32, said he is somewhat insulated from elections ads because he doesn’t watch TV, but he thinks it’s important to vote in municipal elections because each vote matters so much more than in larger elections.

While researching candidates online, he was looking for candidates who would address crime, homelessness and keep parks healthy in the city.

“We can be doing a lot better than we are,” he said, explaining the city is not keeping up with growth and how fast things have changed.

Clash among powerful Colorado Springs developers, dark money groups dominate 2023 elections

Voter Lewis Lambert said he talked with friends to make his decision and keyed in on those candidates who promised to address what he sees as the core of the problem behind social issues, such as homelessness.

“It’s all based on mental health,” he said. He wants to see services provided to people in need, rather than funding more police or firefighters.

A detailed analysis of campaign finance records from the beginning through March 26 show developers, construction companies and investment firms are giving the most to the top fundraisers. Clark, Williams and other recipients of large donations have said in previous interviews they would not allow campaign contributions to color future decisions. 

Notable donors include The O’Neil Group, a developer with ties to the Norris Ranch project at Curtis and Bradley roads seeking annexation into Colorado Springs, and Ron Johnson, CEO of Central Bancorp with ties to Kane Ranch in Fountain. Developers of the property previously expressed interest in annexing into Colorado Springs after filing a lawsuit to leave the city of Fountain because it did not have water to develop. The lawsuit is now on hold while developers work with Fountain on providing water, La Plata Communities CEO and President Doug Quimby said.

Other big donors include Colorado Springs Forward, a group affiliated with the civic nonprofit, and The Realtor Political Action Committee.

New donors this cycle include Weidner Property Management, which is affiliated with Weidner Field in downtown Colorado Springs; Pat Broe, owner of investment group The Broe Group; Braeburn Investments; and contractors Rice & Rice, Inc. and Frazee Construction.

Campaign finance records show Clark raised about $177,000 in the most recent cycle. Her two largest donations include $25,000 from The O’Neil Group and $100,000 from Central Bancorp CEO Johnson. To date, The O’Neil Group has donated a total of $125,000 and Johnson has given a total $210,000 to Clark.

Broe also donated $10,000 to Clark on March 23.

Williams raised about $80,000 from March 11 through 26. He received hefty donations of $10,000 each from Colorado Springs Forward and Weidner Property Management; $6,000 from the Realtor PAC Committee; and $5,000 each from Rice & Rice Inc. and Frazee Construction, campaign finance documents show.

Colorado Springs Forward has donated about $265,000 to date to Williams’ campaign, records show.

Of the approximately $51,000 Mobolade raised between March 11 through 26, he received $10,000 from The O’Neil Group.

Other large donations Mobolade received came from businesses, such as $3,000 from John Edwards, the vice president of defense contractor LinQuest.

Colorado Springs Forward donated $25,000 each to Leinweber and Crow-Iverson. The committee also gave $15,000 to Talarico, campaign finance filings show.

Weidner Property Management donated $2,500 each to Leinweber, Talarico, Crow-Iverson and Risley, documents show.

George Lenz, who is affiliated with Classic Homes, gave $2,500 each to Leinweber and Crow-Iverson, and $1,500 to Talarico.

Records also show Braeburn Investments gave Glenn Carlson $5,000 on March 21, bringing its total donation to Carlson’s campaign to $10,000.

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Scott Hiller, who is running against Talarico to represent the city’s District 3, also received $5,000 from Central Bancorp CEO Johnson.

Ballots must be received by the Colorado Springs City Clerk’s Office or returned to one of the city’s 26 designated drop-off locations, which have 24/7 ballot boxes, by 7 p.m. Tuesday. Postmarks will not count.

It is too late for voters to mail their ballots.

A full list of drop-off locations and their addresses is available online at coloradosprings.gov/voterinfo.